Translated material
IMAX will settle in St. Petersburg
IMAX and Nevafilm have many points of intersection. According to Oleg Berezin, his company was the generator of the idea of designing the first IMAX cinema in Russia and the only one in Moscow. Nevafilm is also a backup studio for IMAX in Russia and provides service services. Their development strategy also speaks in favor of Nevafilm. According to Mr. Berezin, Nevafilm connects its future with the production of digital film copies, the production of content for digital cinemas, and the development of models of new media services for cinemas. Now Nevafilm is focusing on increasing sales of digital equipment and services for delivering content to digital cinemas. This is exactly what IMAX needs today: by the end of 2008 - beginning of 2009, the company plans to switch to digital screening of its films in Russia. The shortage of content for the 3D format is a scourge for the Russian Nescafe-IMAX cinema. So far, in the United States and some Western European countries, “Chicken Little,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Meet the Robinsons,” and “Monster House” are being released in 3D. In Russia, these films appeared only in regular format. Oleg Berezin predicts that in 2008-2009 the number of 3D films at the box office will increase sharply. However, so far only six releases have been announced for 2008, one of which has already been released, and the dates for the start of the Russian release of the Rolling Stones concert have not yet been announced. Only five films have been announced for 2009 and 2010 so far. In reality, there will be an order of magnitude more, IMAX says. Shrek 4 will be seen in 3D only in two years.
According to a representative of the IMAX company, the popularity of 3D films in Russia is no less than in the USA and European countries. Thus, Nescafe-IMAX ranks second among all IMAX cinemas in terms of box office receipts for Beowulf (the BFI IMAX cinema in London is in first place).
By 2010, IMAX plans to open 20 cinemas in Russia. Richard Gelfond, co-chairman and managing director of IMAX Corporation, announced this back in mid-2007, and by the beginning of 2008 the number of cinemas in Russia remains the same - there are only three of them so far: in Moscow, Kazan and St. Petersburg. IMAX is not yet planning to give up its ambitions. “We expect that at least three cinemas will open this year - in Perm, St. Petersburg and Kyiv,” a source at IMAX told Vremya Novostei. “It’s still difficult to make a forecast for 2009, but we expect about five or six cinemas (mainly in the regions), and the remaining cinemas will open in 2010.” Along with expanding its presence in Russia, IMAX will also increase its partner network. It is unknown which companies will become new partners of Canadians. Perhaps we are talking about regional players, experts suggest. According to expert estimates, the most modest set of equipment for one IMAX theater costs $5 million. For this money, you can build a good multiplex cinema in Russia. The transition to digital projectors will reduce costs somewhat for future IMAX partners.
“Since last year, we have been signing contracts for digital IMAX systems, so almost all cinemas opening at the end of this year will be digital,” IMAX said. According to Richard Gelfond, for customers who signed contracts in 2007, replacement of equipment will be free, others must bear the costs themselves. But even in this case, there are advantages: the payback period for cinemas should be reduced - after all, digital copies of films are much cheaper. “IMAX film copies are one of the biggest expenses in our cinemas,” IMAX admits. The cost of duplicating film for a 2D format costs a cinema 20 thousand dollars, and for a 3D format - 35-40 thousand. The transition to a digital format, in addition, diversifies the repertoire. In addition to the traditional IMAX educational films (space, underwater world, etc.) and Hollywood blockbusters, for example, the World Cup will be added.
The Canadian company IMAX is the world's largest manufacturer of equipment for displaying films with 3D images. The IMAX screen is 15 m wide, the halls are shaped like an amphitheater. Today IMAX has six representative offices: in Germany, China, Canada, India and two in the USA - in Los Angeles and New York. According to Hoover's, IMAX's turnover in 2006 amounted to $131.8 million; revenue from film rentals in IMAX theaters in Russia annually brings the company about $3 million.